Dubai-based logistics company DP World is looking to expand operations in the Philippines and is considering setting up an industrial park in Clarkfield, Pampanga, according to a statement from the presidential Communications Office on January 19. The announcement was made after a meeting between DP World Group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland.
“We are committed to investing in the Philippines; we’re committed to expand,” Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, DP World Group chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “So we’re interested in the Philippines, in industrial parks.”
Sultan bin Sulayem also chairs the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation, and has experience in developing industrial parks in other countries such as Senegal, Egypt, India, and Pakistan. He believes that a Philippine expansion is a welcome development for DP World.
For his part, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said that DP World is one of the nine international companies who have expressed keen interest to invest and expand their operations in the Philippines.
“They’re interested in bringing their operation to the Philippines. And what that will do is be able to provide connectivity to areas which are not yet connected at the moment through the main providers in the Philippines,” said Pascual.
DP World is already a strategic foreign shareholder of Manila South Harbor and Batangas container terminal operator Asian Terminals, Inc. With 90% of Philippine trade goods carried via sea, Sultan bin Sulayem said that DP World can add value to the supply chain, noting that sea transportation is the cheapest means of moving cargo.
President Marcos welcomed the potential investment and expressed his administration’s willingness to enter into public-private partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure development. He said he was meeting business leaders in Switzerland to gather their views on other policies and legislation that the government can implement to make the country more conducive for business.
